Civil Rights
Most Americans have heard Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" in which he talked about the dream he had for the future of his nation in which people would be judged not by the color of their skin but by "the content of their characters." It's a stirring speech, of course, but today it is often offered to viewers out of context. There is the history of slavery and then the KKK and the era of Jim Crow, and then (in the abbreviated version of American history that is all too common) suddenly there is the "I have a Dream Speech" and then today there is an African-American president.
But, of course, the history of the fight for and the growth of American civil rights is hardly either so linear or so discontinuous. Nor is it as dependent on the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. As it can seem today, when King has emerged as the icon of the movement. This comment is not meant to disparage the contributions that King made to the Civil Rights Movement in particular or to American history in general. However, it also seems clear that King himself would not have been entirely pleased with the way that he has been lionized at the expense of others in the movement. For while no important social movement can succeed without charismatic leaders, neither can it succeed without the hundreds and often thousands of others who give their labor, their love, and their dreams.
King wrote about the ways in which movements must always be collective in their nature in his essay "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," one of his most trenchant statements of his philosophy:
Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network...
Because of the fact that they are Negros, they have been oppressed and intimidated on several occasions. Malcolm X also makes some historical claims when demanding the civil rights. He states that Negro revolt has been going on since 1945 in the whole world and in 1964 will see that it then emerges to be a black revolution. He claims that this revolution has been happening in Asia, Africa
RHETORICAL AND GENRE ANALYSIS OF TWO STYLES OF COUMMUNICATION USED DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTThe Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century succeeded in achieving major progress in reducing racial inequality and segregation across the country, but as the ongoing racial strife that characterizes life in early 21st century America demonstrates, it is clear that the movement�s work is not yet complete. Nevertheless, it is also apparent that the foundational
The main advantage of the convention is that they provide an opportunity for candidates to define themselves in a positive way and for the party to heal itself after a decisive nomination battle. 2. The electoral college is the means by which presidents are actually elected. To win a state's electoral votes, a candidate must have a plurality of votes in that state. Except in two states, the winner takes all. 3.
American History Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson is probably the most successful symbol of historiography's advancement. There are two concepts that are reflected in the book: that the main cause of war was the slavery of black people and it was not a pleasant experience. Looking at the title, it is evident that McPherson understands that black people's status was the core of the war in regard
Malcolm X's contributions to the civil rights movement cannot be viewed in isolation, without taking into account his influences and contextual variables. By the time Malcolm X wrote his Autobiography, he had already developed a well-articulated and logical political philosophy. His influences as stated in his autobiography include Marcus Garvey, from where Malcolm X's father learned the ideas he passed onto his son. It was Elijah Muhammad and the Nation
Injustice anywhere," King went on, "is a threat to justice everywhere." As to the social and racial injustices King is speaking of, a bit of background into conditions in the South - and specifically, in Alabama - is worthy of some space in this paper. In fact, just a few years prior to the civil rights activism in Birmingham (that saw King arrested and placed in a jail), the lynching
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